Hoisting and conveying apparatus.



no. 714,224. Patente d Nov. 25, I902.

' w. mmmsu.

H'O ISTYING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS. 7 (Application filed Feb. 12,1902.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MCINTOSH, OF CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HOISTING AND CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 714,224, datedNovember 25, 1902.

Application filed February 12, 1902.

To on whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM MCINTOSH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Clinton, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts,-have invented a new and useful Hoisting and ConveyingApparatus, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of hoisting and conveyingmechanisms in which a traveling carriage is mounted to run on anoverhead track or cable.

The especial object of this invention is to provide improved mechanismfor picking up and releasing the supports for the hoistingrope,dumping-rope, or other cables which pass to the carriage from stationarywindlasses or other sources of power.

To this end this invention consists of the hoisting and conveyingapparatus and of the combinations of parts therein, as hereinafterdescribed, and more particularly pointed out in the claims at the end ofthis specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side view of the carriage ofa hoisting and conveying apparatus constructed according to myinvention.Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same, partially broken away. Fig. 3 is adetailview of the connections for operating the movable hump or detent,the parts being shown in the position they occupy when the carriage istraveling in one direction. Fig. at is a similar view showing the partsin the position they occupy when the carriage is traveling in theopposite direction, and Fig. 5 is a detailviewillustrating a modifiedform of construction.

In the use of that class of hoisting and conveying mechanism to whichthis invention relates, where the carriage is mounted to run on anoverhead support or cable of consider able length, it has been foundnecessary to provide supporting devices for the hoistingrope,dumping-rope, operatingrope, and

other cables which run to the carriage. The se supports are located atsuitable intervals on the overhead cable, the supports at one side ofthe carriage being gathered in onto the carriage as the same moves inone direction and being dropped off in proper position as the carriagemoves in the opposite direction. Supports of this character may be usedon one or both sides of the carriage, although in Serial No. 93,720. (Nomodel.)

practice it is usually necessary to use these supports only on the sideof the carriage which receives the hoisting and dumping ropes. Tocontrol the picking up and distributing of these supports, it is nowusually customary to employ a button-line having stops'or abutments forpositioning these supports. The use of the button-line, however, forthis purpose has been found to be objectionable, as the same is notsufficiently reli able to prevent the apparatus from becoming frequentlyderanged, causing a stopping of the operation and the necessity ofsending a rigger or repairman out on the cable.

To'overcome the defects in the operation of the button-line, it has beenproposed to provide connections controlled from the operation of thecarriage for automatically picking up and distributing these supports.

In both classes of constructions-that is to say, in constructions inwhich the supports are controlled from a button-line or from automaticconnections in the carriagethe supports are gathered in onto a hornmounted in the carriage, the supports hanging on this horn until theyare again distributed or dropped into position, when the carriage movesback to the outer limit of its travel. This horn for receiving thesupporting devices has heretofore consisted of a horizontal arm providednear its end with a stationary hump or projection, the supports beingrequired to ride up over this hump or projection when gathered in ontothe horn or when moved off the horn to be distributed along the cable.

The especial object of my present invention is to improve theconstruction of the horn or arm on which the supports are strung bymaking said horn smooth or unobstructed on its supporting-surface, andin providing the same with a movable hump or detent, which is moved downout of the way while the supports are being picked up or gathered in onthe horn and which is lifted up into position to hold the supports inplace while the carriage is traveling in the opposite direction. Themovable hump or horn-detent may be controlled or operated in any desiredmanner, although I prefer to provide connections for controlling saiddetent from the travel of the carriage upon its supporting-cable.

Referring to the accompanying drawings for a detail description of ahoisting mechanism embodying myinvention, l0 designates an overheadtrack or cable.

Running on the cable 10 are the trackwheels 11 and 12, which support thecarriage formed by framework 13. Journaled in the framework 13 are thepulleys 15 and 16, which carry the supporting-rope, and the pulleys 17and 18, which carry the dumpingrope.

The hoisting-rope, dumping-rope, or other ropes leading to the travelingcarriage are supported by supports 19, which supports 19 are hung at therequired intervals on the cable 10. In the present instance Ihaveillustrated a single support 19, although it is to be understood that aconsiderable number of such supports are employed in practice.

The supports 19 are picked up or gathered in on ahorn or horizontal armextending from the carriage when the carriage moves in one direction andare distributed at the desired intervals on the cable 10 either by abuttonline or by automatic connections for this purpose.

As illustrated herein, the shaft 20 of the wheel 11 is provided with asprocket-pinion 21, which by means of a sprocket-chain 22 drives thepin-wheel 23. The pin-wheel 23 may be provided with one or more pins 24for operating a latch 25 when the carriage is traveling in onedirection, the latch 25 being provided with a pivoted section at itslower end, permitting the pins 24 to ratchet past the same when thecarriage is traveling in the opposite direction. The latch 25 isconnected by a link 26 to the pivoted lever 27, which operates thepusher 28, which pusher 28 engages a cam on the support 19 for liftingthe same over the detent of the horn to drop the support 19 into placeon the cable 10. The latch 25 is also connected by a lever 29 to operatea lever 30, which lever 30 is connected toa spring-pressed cross-bar 31,which normally presses the supports together and which is retracted whena support is to be dropped 01f. These connections for dropping off thesupports 19, as herein illustrated, are of the same construction as theparts shown and described in my application for patent filed October 8,1901, Serial No. 77,989, and it is to be understood that in thisapplication for patent I do not claim any particular construction forreleasing the supports 19, my present invention residing in a specialconstruction of horn and in the connections for operating the movablehump or detent of such horn.

My improved horn, as herein illustrated, consists, essentially, of ahorizontal arm 40, projecting from one end of the carriage and providedwith a pivoted hump or detent 41. The horizontal arm which forms thesupporting-horn is tapered at its end and has a substantially smoothunobstructed supporting surface or top for the carriers.

I use the term smooth unobstructed supporting-surface to distinguishfrom the old constructions of horn with which I am familiar, which havealways had, so far as I am informed, a stationary hump or detent, overwhich the carriers must be lifted to be taken on the horn and over whichthey must be lifted when they are detached therefrom.

The detent 41, as illustrated in Fig. 3, is moved down out of the waywhile the supports 19 are being gathered in on the horn as the carriagetravels in one direction and is moved up into raised position to holdthe supports 19 in place when the carriage is traveling in the oppositedirection.

I preferably provide connections for controlling the position of themovable hump or detent41 from the travel of the carriage. The preferredform of these connections is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.As shown in these figures, the shaft 42 of the track-wheel 12 has an arm43 clampedthereon, so as to be frictionally operated. The arm 42 isconnected by a link .44 to toggle-levers 45 and 47, which are connectedto the movable hump or detent 41. The motion of the toggle-levers 45 and47 is limited by stop-pins 48. By means of this construction while thesupports 19 are being gathered in or picked up on the horn the movablehump or detent will be moved down out of the way, as illustrated in Fig.3, while when the carriage is traveling in the opposite direction themovable hump or detent 41 will occupy its raised position, asillustrated in Fig. 4. When the hump or detent 41 is in its raisedposition, as shown in Fig. 4, it will be noted that the toggle-leversand 47 have been moved slightly past their center of motion, providing apositive lockfor preventing any strain or pressure upon-the movable humpor detent for pushing the same down out of the way.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated a modification of the connections foroperating the movable hump ordetent 41. As shown in this figure, theshaft 42 of the track-wheel12 is provided with a disk 50, carrying anumber of pawls 51. One-half of the pawls 51 are faced in one direction,and the other half of the pawls 51 are faced in the opposite direction:A slide 52 is connected by a link 47 to the movable hump or detent 41,which slide 52 is provided with shoulders 53 and 54 for cooperating withthe pawls 51. By means of this construction when the carriage is movingin one directionone set of the pawls 51 will engage with the shoulder 53to move the slide in one direction to draw the movable hump or detentdown into its inoperative position, and when the carriage is moving inthe other direction the other set of pawls 51, cooperating with theshoulder 54, will raise the hump or detent 41 up into its operativeposition. A spring-catch 55 may be arranged to cooperate with the slide52 to lock the same in the position to which it is moved by the pawls51. I am aware that numerous changes may be made in the connections foroperating the movable hump or detent of my improved horn, that the shapeof the horn and its detent may be widely varied, and that the detentinstead of being controlled by the motion of the carriage may simply becontrolled by gravity or by the action of a spring without departingfrom the scope of my invention as expressed in the claims.

My device has two points of advantage over the old constructions. lhefirst is that the carriers are easily picked up on the horn, especiallyat slow speeds. In old constructions when running at slow speeds it wasoften found necessary to run way over to one side and push the carriersagainst a fixed projection before they would be picked up by the horn.

The second point of ad vantage in my improved construction resides inthe fact that the hump on the horn can be much larger and higher thanwith ordinary constructions, whereby when the carriage runs on anincline or on a sharply-curved rope the incline or tip of the crrriagewill not allow the carriers to drop off of the horn except when themechanism or means for this purpose operates. I do not wish, therefore,to be limited to the special construction which I have herein shown anddescribed; but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is-

1. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage mounted to run thereon, a horn on saidcarriage havingasmooth unobstructed holding-surface, and a hump ordetent arranged so that said horn and said hump or detent assumedifferent relative positions, whereby said horn can engage and pick up afall-rope carrier without substantial obstruction from said hump ordetent, and whereby said hump or detent holds said carrier after it ispicked up by said horn.

2. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage mounted to run thereon, a horn in saidcarriage having a smooth unobstructed holding surface upon whichsupports are picked up while the carriage is moving in one direction andfrom which the supports are distributed when the carriage is moving inthe opposite direction, a movable hump or detent for holding thesupports on said horn, and means for operating the detent from themotion of the carriage.

3. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage mounted to run thereon, a horn in saidcarriage having a smooth unobstructed holding surface upon whichsupports are picked up while the carriage is moving in one direction,automatic mechanism mounted in the carriage and controlled from thetravel thereof for distributing the supports from the horn while thecarriage is moving in the opposite direction, the horn being providedwith a movable hump or detent which moves out of the way while thesupports are being picked up and which stands in operative positionwhile the supports are being distribnted.

4. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage supported by wheels running on said track orcable, a horn in said carriage having a smooth unobstructedholding-surface upon which supports are picked up while the carriage ismoving in one direction and. from which the supports are distributedwhile the carriage is moving in the opposite direction, a movable humpor detent for said horn, and connections from one of the carriagewheelsfor operating said hump or detent.

5. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage mounted to run thereon, a horn mounted insaid carriage upon which supports are picked up while the carriage ismoving in one direction and from which the supports are distributedwhile the carriage is moving in the opposite direction, a movable humpor detent for said horn, and operating connections for the movable humpor detent, forming a positive lock for preventing the movable hump ordetent from being moved from its operative position by the pressure ofthe supports thereon.

6. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, acarriage mounted to run thereon, a horn mounted in saidcarriage upon which supports are picked up while the carriage is movingin one direction, and from which the supports are distributed while thecarriage is moving in the opposite direction, a movable hump or detentfor the horn, and toggle-le vers connected to operate the movable humpor detent from the motion of the carriage, said toggle-levers beingarranged to move slightly past their center of movement when the hump ordetent occupies its operative position, so as to form a positive lockfor holding the hump or detent in place.

7. In a hoisting and conveying apparatus, the combination of an overheadtrack or cable, a carriage supported by wheels running on the overheadtrack or cable, a horn mounted in said carriage upon which supports arepicked up while the carriage is movingin one direction and from whichthe supports are distributed when the carriage is moving in the oppositedirection, a movable hump or detent, and an operating-arm having africtional connection with the shaft of one of the carriage-wheels foroperating the toggle-levers, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM MoINTOSH. Witnesses:

LOUIS W. SOUTHGATE, GEORGE BURR.

